


The Invasion of New York

by marvel_mockingbird



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers (2012) Rewrite, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28641147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvel_mockingbird/pseuds/marvel_mockingbird
Summary: Captain Steve Rogers is introduced to Agent Romanoff soon after waking up. The two find that trauma is amazing at bonding two people. Now weather or not these bonds can be broken by time or even more trauma is still certain. Being thrown into war after war is not the life anyone would imagine themselves being thrown into.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 10
Kudos: 37





	1. A Man Out Of Time

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written within the ideas of the 2012 Avengers script. Lines have been taken directly from the movie. I tried to make changes where I could but I want to make it very clear that I don’t own these characters or the 2021 Avengers. I simply am using the movie as a scaffold to build a different story upon.

The radio comes in with little static. The announcer was loud and passionate. The entire room is brightly lit and everything is pristine. A blond man lays in a hopsital cot opens his blue eyes. He is wearing a shirt with the SSR logo on the front. The white shirt clings to his muscles. In addition he is wearing khaki trousers and brown boots. He can also feel his dog tags hanging around his neck. Slowly sitting up and looking around the room, hearing a voice. Sitting up and taking in the room he sees the radio where the voice is coming from. 

“Curve ball, high and outside for ball one. So the Dodgers are tied, 4-4. And the crowd well knows that with one swing of his bat, this fellow’s capable of making it a brand-new game again. Just an absolutely gorgeous day here at Ebbets Field. The Phillies...”

He hears the slight squeak of hinges as a door opens. A woman walks in. She has reddish brown hair. Her shirt is a pristine white, though something feels off about her. 

“Good morning,” she looks down at he watch with a smile still on her face, “Or should I say, afternoon?”

“Where am I?” the man asks.

“…the Dodgers have three men on. Pearson beaned Reiser in Philadelphia last month. Wouldn’t the youngster like a hit here to return the favor? Pete leans in. Here’s the pitch. Swung on. A line to the right. And it gets past Rizzo,” the radio continued in the back ground. 

“You’re in a recovery room in New York city,” she states in a matter of fact tone. 

“The Dodgers take the lead, 8-4. Oh, Dodgers! Everyone is on their feet. What a game we have here today, folks. What a game indeed,” the man over the radio announces.  
“Where am I really?” he asks with distrust. 

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” the woman speaks slowly and takes a cautious step forward. 

“The game, it’s from May, nineteen forty one. I know, cause I was there,” he slowly get up from the bed, “Now, I’m gonna ask you again. Where am I?”

“Captain Rogers…” she pushes a button that she had previously had tucked under her sleeve. 

“Who are you?”

The door opens and two solider in black uniforms enter as the woman takes a step back. The blond man also steps back. He pushes back the two men before they could restrain him. Once he pushes the men back they hit the wall and fall through. Looking around he notices that he was not in a true room, he was on some kind of set. He quickly runs out of the set he was in. 

“Captain Rogers, wait!” the woman calls out as she steps out of the false room, she grabs a walkie from one of the men lying on the ground before speaking into it, “All agents, code 13! I repeat. All agents, code 13!”

The man runs through the hall of a building. He pushes back a few more men that seem to be guards. He runs out of the building and into the middle of a street, a taxi cab passes by him while others car approach behind him. He runs down the street before coming to a stop and finds himself standing in the middle of a busy square. He stares around at the billboards unnerved. Bright light flash all around him as crowds pass by. He pants as he turns around trying to find something to help ground him. Black SUV’s encircle him and men get out of the vehicles also surrounding him. A many with a trench coat and eye patch steps forward. 

“At ease, soldier! Look, I’m sorry about that little show back there, but… we thought it best to break it to you slowly,” the man in the eye patch attempts to calm him. 

“Break what?”

“You’ve been asleep, Cap. For almost seventy years.”

The blond looks around in shock as the man continues. 

“You gonna be okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah. I just…I had a date,” the blond says disappointed. 

“Captain Rogers, if you would come with me I can try and help explain.”

He nods and follows the man into one of the SUV’s. The two sit in the back until the driver starts the car and pulls out of Time Square. 

“My name is Nick Fury. You can call me Fury though. I am the director of SHIELD, though you might remember it as the SSR.”

“What is this place?”

“This is 2011 Times Square in New York. We’re heading to a facility where you can recover and try to acclimate to the new times. 

They arrive at a building. And Fury walks the man inside. 

“There is already a room set up for you at this facility bit later on we can get you an apartment. I have assigned an agent to act as somewhat of a tour guide for the 21st century.”  
He nods, seeing a woman with long red curly hair walk up to them. 

“Hello Captain Rogers. I’m Agent Romanoff,” the woman says. 

“Hello ma’am. There is no need to call me Captain. Steve Rogers,” he puts his hand out. 

She shook his hand before allowing her arms to hand in a comfortable manor. She holds her right wrist and planting her feet. 

“Mr. Rogers, would you like me to show you to your room.”

He nodded before following the red head.

She showed him to a room. It was plain, a bed, set of drawers and a small en suite bathroom. He slowly walked into the room, surveying the furniture. 

“Can I get you anything?”

“Do you think I could get a pencil and pad?”

“Sure. Would you like anything to eat?”

“Uhm, I imagine foods have changed quite a lot haven’t they?” he asked. 

“There are no longer rations, those were ended decades ago. I can get you an MRE, I doubt those have changed quite as much as other forms of food.”

“That would be nice.”

She nodded before leaving the room. Despite having been frozen for 70 years he didn’t find himself quite as hungry as one may expect. Though there was nothing expected about waking up after being frozen for decades.


	2. Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve tries to continues trying to get used to the 21st century, luckily for him he does have a guide. Will it be enough for him to truly navigate this new world? W

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I made a draft of this chapter and really thought I posted it, or maybe that was another story. I don't know, my brain is fried and I only am half aware of what I'm doing at the moment.

Natasha parked in front of an apartment building.

“Is this another SHIELD building?” Steve asks looking over at her.

“No, this is your new apartment. We figured that a week in those SHIELD quarters was enough.”

He gave her a confused look.

“Fury set this up. I know it’s not Brooklyn but is the best we can do right now.”

“Thanks, I don’t know if I can afford any furniture. Money doesn’t go nearly as far now.”

“I got you covered,” she said getting out of the car.

Steve followed her lead also getting out of the car. Out of the back seat he grabbed a duffle bag that had the some clothes he had been given along with his suit, shield, and a sketch book. They walked inside and Steve followed her to the elevator. His apartment was actually on the top floor. Nat unlocked the door and the two walked in. It wasn’t huge, but it seemed like a fairly nice place. There was a couch and chair in the living room, and old timey radio. The kitchen wasn’t huge but it was just him so it would work. He also noticed a TV across from the couch. It wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t like anything he was used to seeing. He had seen TV screens around SHIELD but he still didn’t really understand it.

“It’s kind of plain, but my only other ideas were patriotic everything or old man.”

He smiled and rolled his eyes at her.

“Bedrooms there, there’s a washer there and a coat closet. Not a bad place in the grand scheme of things.”

“Thank you. Really, thanks for setting this all up for me,” he placed the duffle bad by the couch.

“It wasn’t just me, but your welcome for the parts I did. I also went to the store and got a few basics. There are also some MRE’s in the cabinet, I know that you said they remind you of being back in the army.”

“Thank you again. You didn’t have to do all this.”

“It’s nothing. I’ve had to stay in those SHIELD quarters before, they are not the best. I can’t imagine sleeping in that bed and being like six feet tall.”

“What are you off to do now agent Romanoff?” he asked nervously.

“I don’t have anything planed for the rest of the day. Don’t worry though I will get out of your hair,” she turned and started walkign to the door.

“Do you mind staying? Just for a little bit I mean you don’t have to,” he rambled on.

She turned on her heels.

“One condition.”

“Of course, what is it?”

“Stop calling me agent Romanoff. You can just call me Natasha.”

“Okay Natasha,” he slowly sat on the couch.

She took a seat in the chair by the couch.

“Oh I forgot, I got you a couple movies that you have to see.”

“Okay,” he said as she got up and went over the TV.

He watched as she got a movie set up before going back to the chair. She kicked off her shoes before curling up in the chair. This was the first time he had seen her look so relaxed. Maybe this is how she always was outside of SHIELD. He wasn’t quite sure.

About twenty minutes into the movie Natasha was watching fairly intently but Steve was having trouble paying attention. His eyes kept getting drawn back to her. She hadn’t noticed, at least he didn’t think he had. She looked so beautiful, wanted to forever capture her like that. Since she knew how much he liked to draw she had been showing him how you could use phones to take pictures, which while it was interesting he found that technology couldn’t quite capture her. Slowly he pulled his sketch pad out, maybe he could capture her in a drawing in a way that photos just couldn’t. She had been an amazing guide to this crazy new world. He knew it made no sense but it was like she understood the world he was used to. It wasn’t just she knew a lot about it, it somehow seemed like she had lived it. That would be impossible though. As he began sketching her out he found he was able to at least somewhat capture her. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was he couldn’t capture of in a picture. Maybe it was just that she had been his guide so he had created a bond with her. He wouldn’t say it to her, inside he was still that skinny kid from Brooklyn. For now he would just have to figure out how to say thank you for all she had done for him.

In a Brooklyn gym Steve’s is pummeling a punching bag and in anger knocks it off it’s chain, sending it flying across the room when Fury enters the gym

“Trouble sleeping?” Fury asks.

“I was asleep for almost seventy years. You’re here with a mission, sir?” Steve steadies the punching bag.

“I am.”

“Trying to get me back in the world?” Steve beings unwrapping his fists.

“Trying to save it,” Fury hands Steve a file on the Tesseract, along with other files on HYDRA'S projects.

“Hydra's secret weapon.”

“Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought what we think, the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. That's something the world sorely needs.”

“Who took it from you?” he looks up from the files he had been skimming.

“He's called Loki. He's not from around here. There's a lot we'll have to bring you up to speed on if you're in. The world has gotten even stranger than you already know.”

“At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me,” he exhales a laugh.

“Ten bucks says you're wrong. There's a debriefing package waiting for you back at your apartment.”

Steve turns and picks up a punching bag. Fury starts walking out of the gym.

“Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now?” Fury looks back.

“You should have left it in the ocean,” he answers without a moment of hesitation.

When he got back to his apartment Natasha was waiting for him. 

"Did Fury come talk to you?" she asked.

"So you know about the tesseract?"

"Yeah, I'm being sent off an a recruitment mission but I figured I'd let you know in person."

He felt a mild panic begin to build in him. He hated the idea of her not being there. She had been somewhat of a lifeline. No matter how crazy this world got he still had her. He needed that constant. He pushed back the fear and racing thoughts and unlocked his door.

"You gonna invite me in?" she asked with that signature smirk.

"I thought it would be implied that you are invited in," he smiled.

She rolled her eyes and slipped beside him.

"How long will it take?" he asked.

"Depends on how receptive they are."

"Is there a reason that you are so intent on getting them?"

"You'll understand if you meet them. I bet you could look him up if you have tried the internet yet. Let's just say not all experiments end with a super soldier."

That gave him an idea of what she was walking into, and once again he felt that panic rising up.

He followed her with his eyes as she walked over to his couch and plopped down. 

"Are you going to be a part of whatever Fury is planning?"

"Someone has to be there to make sure you don't do anything stupid," she joked.

He knew it must be unintentional but when she spoke he was transported back to before the ice. There were also those times where she spoke but his head would start spinning and he would just hear Bucky. This was one of those time. As casually as he could he leaned against the counter to brace himself.

"Hey Steve," she said pulling him back to reality.

"Yes."

"Do you like it here? I mean I know it has to have been a shock, but have you been able to enjoy it at all?"

"There are definitely things that I like about it," he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"If you were back would you make the same choices?"

"I'm not sure," he lied.

He hoped that lie was convincing enough. If she knew he was lying she didn't show it.


	3. I Can Show You The...Hellicarrier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha continues showing Steve around the crazy new world he lives in, or at least the parts that can be seen from a giant Hellicarrier. Though she gets placed as a tour guide for the tesseract expert Fury had sent her after.

The Quinjet lands down a massive battleship. Agent Coulson and Steve walk down the ramp of the Quinjet, meeting up with a familiar agent.

“Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers,” Coulson says, clearly not knowing that the two had previously met. 

“Ma'am,” he gives her a subtle smirk.

She looks away for a moment, composing herself. 

“Hi,” she put on her cold demur before looking to Coulson, “They need you on the bridge. They're starting the face-trace.”

“See you there,” Coulson walks away leaving the two presumed strangers walking towards the railing of the Hellicarrier. 

“Fair warning, finding you in the ice is quite the buzz here. Coulson ask you to sign his trading cards yet?”

“I’m begging to suspect that you are the one with trading cards. All you have to do is ask. You know I’d do it for you,” he smiles at her. 

“They're vintage, he's very proud. What do you think of the Hellicarrier?”

“I’ve seen better,” he scans her and smiles. 

She rolls her eyes. He shoves his hand into his trousers, trying to fight back the blush in his cheeks. He needs to change the subject before he does anything stupid. He looked back at Natasha. The wind was blowing her hair into her face. 

“Don’t move,” he says reaching out and carefully tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

She smiles.

“I’m fighting back the urge to completely mess up your nice neat military do.”

He smiled back at her. 

Steve makes his way over to a dark haired man. 

“Dr. Banner?” he asks putting his hand out.

“Oh, yeah. Hi. They told me you'd be coming,” Banner says shaking his hand. 

“Word is you can find the cube,” Steve says.

Nat watches the two men from afar. 

“Is that the only word on me?”

“Only word I care about,” Steve says before looking back at Nat as if for an idea of what to do next. 

“It must be strange for you, all of this,” Bruce says taking in the sentiment. 

“Well, this is actually kind of familiar,” Steve looks back to where a group of men in training are running down the runways, he can picture seeing his army buddies doing the same thing as he struggled to keep up.

“Gentlemen, you might want to step inside in a minute. It's gonna get a little hard to breath,” Nat smirks as she makes eye contact with Steve. 

The men note that the Hellicarrier shakes under their feet as it prepares for whatever happens next as a giant battle ship sets sail. Other’s aboard being to strap down the planes and Quinjets in preparation. 

“Is this a submarine?” Steve asks Natasha. 

“Really? They wanted me in a submerged, pressurized metal container?” Banner asks. 

The two men move closer to the edge of the Helicarrier. Four huge lift fans mounted on the sides starts to lift into the air as the ship takes flight. Steve watches in awe while Banner smiles. 

“Oh, no. This is much worse,” Banner says stepping back. 

A pair of automatic doors swing open and Natasha walks in with the two men following behind her. Steve scans the area and sees many dozens of agents focused on their screens. A woman is shouting instructions and Fury is sitting in the command chair. 

“We're at lock, sir,” the woman calls out, she reminds Steve of women he would see working in the army. 

“Good. Let's vanish,” Fury says. 

The Helicarrier rises up from the ocean. The ships is then cloaked and is no longer visible in the sky. 

“Gentlemen,” Steve stares out the window before pulling out ten dollars and handing it to Fury, “Doctor, thanks you for coming.”

“Thanks for asking nicely. So, uh... how long am I staying?” Banner asks. 

“Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the clear.”

“Where are you with that?” Fury asks. 

Fury turns to Agent Coulson to explain, while Natasha is knelt down and eyes an image of what seems to be another agent on a computer screen.

“We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cellphones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us,” Coulson says.

“That's still not gonna find them in time,” Natasha says as she stand up. 

“You have to narrow the field. How many spectrometers do you have access to?” Banner looks to Fury. 

“How many are there?” Fury asks in a matter of fact tone. 

“Call every lab you know, tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?"

“Agent Romanoff, would you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please.”

Natasha nods at Fury before walking off and leading Banner down the hall. 

“You're gonna love it, Doc. We got all the toys,” she looks behind her as they continue walking.


End file.
